The real money in the sitcom business comes from syndication rights, selling the reruns on a per episode basis to other networks. Last Man Standing is not only a syndication smash, a virtual cash cow, per Deadline it is the “rare off-network ratings success story these days.”

So, it was with great surprise that ABC decided to suddenly cancel the show, despite a rise in production costs for the network (overall profits would have still far outstripped costs).

Surely, it couldn’t have anything to do with the fact that Allen’s character was unabashedly conservative and a devout Christian, much like the actor himself…could it?